Ascending: rising or increasing to higher levels, values, or degrees
Butterflies: The change from caterpillar though to the chrysalis and emergence as a butterfly is the greatest change in the animal world. It symbolises significant change in the course of one’s life, personality or way of thinking.
Putting them together brings us on an upwards journey of change and transformation, isn't that what we all strive for?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor The California Wine Club! We look forward to working with you again. The Winner is *'Gina Nuzio'*. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

I'm happy to say we are resuming our annual holidays buying guide this week with an ADULT themed giveaway! Don't get me wrong, I love providing you guys with Kids Corner, but I'm not yet a mom, and my City Girl lifestyle is a lot more cocktails and wine than it is soccer matches or car pools!

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Fruit-of-the-Month Club, as a former Special Ed teacher I can tell you if I see one more apple.......

I know different schools have different rules and different gift etiquette, but I'm sure most teachers will tell you they'd prefer the grape to the apple, and by grape I do mean wine.

For the past three months I've been in wine nirvana with some amazing at home deliveries straight from some amazing wineries direct to my door all courtesy of The California Wine Club!﻿

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Each wine club shipment includes two bottles of award-winning wine - Every month they feature two different wines from a winery located in not just Napa and Sonoma, but also places like Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara (when I grow up, whenever that is, I want to live there!) and even the Sierra Foothills. Your CWC wine of the month club adventure will take you to wine regions not normally represented outside of California's wine community.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Detailed and beautiful 12-page, full color publication, Uncorked - offers an up-close and personal look at the family behind the wines plus tasting notes, recipes, wine luminary interviews, games and so much more.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Just $49.45* per month includes shipping and handling. *Plus sales tax where applicable.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - There are no wine of the month club membership fees, you can cancel anytime and every wine is 100% guaranteed.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - There is never any bulk, closeout or private label wine.

What I Tried:

I have had the pleasure of receiving 3 months of selections from The California Wine Club's Premier Club, I also tried out a shipment earlier in the year that I also loved and definitely plan to re-order from Bixler Vineyards. I'm in love with the 2008 Union Island White!

In October:

I tried Perry CreekZinman's 2008 Zinfandel, El Dorado - What makes it even sweeter is that it's sustainably farmed and produced from Old Vines.

A unique legend: The legend of ZINMAN can be traced back to the days of the gold rush. It was then that reports first trickled in of a mystical creature known to sprinkle “ZinDust” upon the vines of the Sierra Foothills. Over 150 years later, his work can still be experienced in a bottle of Zinman, one just has to close their eyes and enjoy all of the magical flavors that dance upon your palate.

ZINMAN is one of Perry Creek’s most recognized and highly successful signature series wines. It is rated among the top 15 best-value Zinfandels by Wine Spectator in 2010 and its popularity continues to grow year by year. What makes it so special is the unique combination of spice and elegance in its flavors which stems from being produced in one of the best vineyards in the El Dorado County AVA. Its truly modern composition and sustainable farming practices makes it a must have for anyone’s dinner table.

Perry Creek Winery 2009 El Dorado Chardonnay - This is a crisp Chardonnay with just a hint of vanilla and tropical fruit flavors.

Castoro Cellars 2010 "Blind Faith" Paso Robles Pinot Noir - Grown in the Blind Faith Vineyard on steep terraces and dry creek bottom soils. These extreme growing conditions produce a unique wine with intense flavor. The 'Estate Lots' are watched carefully and only bottled in limited quantities when the wine warrants it. This wine is certainly a worthy addition to any wine cellar. It can be enjoyed now or held up to five years.

Castoro Cellars 2010 Paso Robles Gewurztraminer - Castoro’s Gewürz is made in such small quantities that the winery has never submitted it for review or competitions. The final blend was 77% Gewürztraminer, 15% Viognier and 8% Muscat Canelli.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Great with salads, Japanese or Thai cuisine. It's the aromas of jasmine and ginger and tropical fruit flavors that make it such a perfect compliment to Japanese or Thai, and I love both!

In December:

2009 Tulip Hill WineryTracy Hills Reserve Chardonnay - Cellar Select Mount Oso - blended from 17 barrels of 100% MLF Chardonnay with tropical fruits and apples with a hint of spice. The undertones of butter and oak lend to a mouth feel that is rich and balanced leading to a creamy finish with a light punch of acid to extend the flavors across the palate.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Enjoy with your favorite soft cheese, pasta in a light cream sauce. (My appetizer pairing was Sesame Crackers with Camembert and my pasta entree was my penne and sausage a la vodka I really need to remember to share that recipe with you guys!)

2009 Tracy Hills Cabepulciano - Yes this is a blend that includes:

45% Montepulciano

27% Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 4-

28% Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 10

With notes of spice, black cherry, cedar, currant, vanilla and a delicious hint of dark chocolate, it's definitely elegant with a bright, juicy finish. It's a limited production making it perfect for a very special dinner or holiday party.

I have nothing but good things to say about The California Wine Club, it's an amazing gift year round not just for the holidays. It's perfect for corporate gifts as well as personal, and the fact that they work directly with wineries in vineyards not just in Napa and Sonoma make the club a very distinctive and unique gift. I will say my preference has always been white wine over red, but through the club I've opened up my palate more and have tried many reds I wouldn't have found so readily locally that I have greatly enjoyed.

Ordering via the club makes wine much more approachable and the Uncorked newsletter makes it fun. The convenience of having the wines delivered right to your doorstep and dazzling family and friends with wines they are not going to find at their local spirit shops is priceless!

I'm a mega foodie, and my motto is never cook with a wine you don't enjoy sipping, and I have incorporated the wines into many of my dishes (recipes to come). I'm also a member of The California Wine Club's over 82,000 and counting fan base on Facebook, and I love reading their updates, there is always humor, fun tips and promos!

Want to send the gift of wine this year? Take 10% off any holiday gifts you wish to send from The California Wine Club with promo code: butterfly

You didn't think I'd forget about you right? Who loves you butterfly?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at The California Wine Club would like to give 1 lucky winner a 3 month Premier Club Membership of their own! With Premier Club you get to choose, 1 red and 1 white, 2 reds or 2 whites, the choice is yours!

Don't you just ♥ The California Wine Club? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2)MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit The California Wine Cluband tell us which of the four wine clubs is your favorite! (you can post the name of it or link to it, your choice, and while I will allow premier as a choice, you'll get extra brownie points if you select a different club!) (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. No purchase necessary. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Tuesday, December 06, 2011 until Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Order any wine club as a gift or for yourself and post your order confirmation number or email it to me and get 10 extra entries!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - In honor of all things wine, tell me your all time favorite wine? Was it a winery you discovered during your travels? A house wine at your favorite restaurant?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment. (If your blog post contains more than just a pic and link you'll get 5 extra credit entries!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our NEW Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you have our old one, please swap it out, our URL address has changed!

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like The California Wine Club on Facebook HERE (Tell them which wine club is your favorite and/or that you are trying to win a Premier Club 3 month membership from Ascending Butterfly) - Be sure you leave the link to your comment here for extra credit. (You can get the link the same way you do on twitter, press on the time you left the comment on their facebook wall, and when the page fully loads, highlight and copy the URL address and then paste it into the comment field here). If you say "I wrote on their wall" and do not leave the link that Extra Credit Entry will NOT be processed.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's Blog Frog Community HERE <-There is an active giveaways thread there too, so if you are a blogger also, please feel free to add your active giveaways to that thread!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog -This is ONE time per giveaway, NOT daily.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another active giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is NOT a sponsored promotion. NO compensation has been received from the sponsor in exchange for this post. A 3 month membership was provided to me free of charge for editorial consideration. Also, The sponsors are fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the products. All opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor. An Affiliate Link is used for the ScoreBig Extra Credit Entry and for EZ Win game.

I am a public follower of Ascending1 on GFC as user eyewonit eyewonit AT aol dot COM

My fave Wine Club is the International Selections because there are so many countries producing quality wines these days! I like the idea of sampling wines from Chile, Australia and Italy just to name a few. My husband and I enjoy fine wine and this would be a wonderful way to introduce ourselves to varies from abroad.

My all time fave wine was one that we sampled during a wine tour in Temecula, Calif. 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from the Wilson Winery which won an award for them. I will always remember that tour. We were delighted with the whole day experience.

My favorite wine is Chateau Morrisette's "Our Dog Blue"...it is from a vineyard in Virginia. A friend gave me a bottle as a going away present...little did I know I would eventually move to Virginia. I love all their wines!